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Book: Luke
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Luke 7:48,50 Go In Peace
I. Jesus and the Pharisee.
A. Simon the Pharisee desired that Jesus would eat with him.
1. What prompted this desire, we are not told.
a. Whether he was a serious seeker or not we are
not told.
b. It is possible that it was just a set-up, he
was just looking for something to find fault
with about Jesus.
2. People still desire to be around Jesus for different
motives.
a. Some who are genuinely searching, and others
who are just seeking to find fault so to
confirm their unbelief.
b. Some of you who have come today are seeking
answers and other seeking arguments, you are
hoping to find some fault by which you can
justify your unbelief.
B. He was certainly an ungracious host.
1. He did not provide Jesus water to wash His feet.
a. The proper thing was to have his servant wash
the feet of the guests.
b. People wore open sandals and the paths were
dusty, so at least water was poured over the
feet. He did not even do that.
2. He did not greet Jesus with a kiss.
a. The common custom was for the host to lay his
hand on shoulder of the guest and give him the
kiss of peace.
b. That was a sign of respect and always done to
the Rabbi.
3. He did not anoint the head of Jesus with oil.
a. The general custom was to put a drop of attar
of roses upon the head of the guest.
b. He offered to Jesus none of these gracious
actions that were just common courtesy.
C. He was soon finding fault with Jesus.
II. The woman.
A. A woman of the city who was a sinner. She was a prostitute.
Jesus acknowledged that her sins were many.
B. She heard that Jesus was eating at the house of Simon.
1. The houses were usually built around a courtyard, and
when there was such a feast the people were free to
come in and listen to the words of the Rabbi.
2. This woman was a notorious sinner came and stood behind
Jesus and began to weep.
3. When they ate at such a feast, they did not have chairs
around a table, but they reclined upon the floor,
leaning on their one elbow, their feet were behind
them. That is how it was that she stood at His feet
behind Him. vs 38
4. Conscious of her great guilt, and standing behind one
who was so holy and pure, her heart began to break over
the sense of her guilt. Her tears began to flow,
dropping on the feet of Jesus.
5. Perhaps with a little embarrassment she began to wipe
the tears off with her hair.
6. She then began kissing His feet, and she took the
perfume which was generally carried in a little phial
called an alabaster, and worn around the neck, and
poured the perfume on the feet of Jesus.
C. The response of Simon the Pharisee was that of contempt for the
woman and doubt concerning Jesus.
1. He was thinking to himself, "If this man were a
prophet, He would have known what kind of woman this
is, and surely would not have allowed her to touch
Him."
a. The Pharisee's were very careful not to touch
sinners.
b. When they would walk down the street, they
would hold their robes tight against their
bodies for fear that they might swing out and
perhaps touch a sinner, or a woman, or a
Gentile, and they would thus become defiled.
2. To allow a known prostitute to touch you was
unthinkable.
a. They felt that the sin could somehow transfer
off to you.
b. They would be considered unclean, and not be
allowed into the place of worship.
III. The response of Jesus to the questions and doubts of Simon.
A. "I have something to say to you."
1. He responded, "Rabbi, say on."
2. Jesus told the story of a man who had two debtors, the
one owed 500 pence or about $50,000, and the other
$5,000.
3. Neither could pay his debt, so he forgave both of them
their debt.
4. Question, "Which one loved him the most?"
5. They were both debtors, they could neither one pay.
a. We realize that Jesus is talking about a debt
of sin.
b. One a great sinner, the other fairly righteous,
but a sinner still.
c. No man can atone for or pay the debt of his
sin.
d. They were both forgiven, but which one
appreciated the forgiveness the most?
6. Simon answered, "I suppose the one that was forgiven
the most."
a. Jesus answered, "You are right."
B. The contrast between the sinful woman and the self righteous
Simon.
1. Jesus mentions his discourtesy.
a. You did not provide water for My feet.
b. You did not kiss Me.
c. You did not put perfume on my head.
2. The gracious acts of the woman.
a. She washed My feet with tears, dried them with
her hair. Incidentally for a woman to let down
her hair in public was considered indecent.
When a woman was married she would tie her hair
up in a bun, and would never again be seen
publicly with her hair down.
b. She was continually kissing His feet from the
time He reclined at the table.
c. She anointed His feet with the costly perfume.
C. Her sins which are many are forgiven, for she loved much.
1. His actions showed that he loved little.
2. Today there are those who love much and those who love
little. Shall we describe those who love little?
a. They come to the place of worship quite
regularly, they sing, but not to loudly for
they do not want to be too enthusiastic.
b. You will never see them at a prayer meeting,
and they rarely come to a week night service.
c. They take only enough spiritual nourishment to
barely keep them alive.
d. They have family prayer sometimes. Mainly at
meals.
e. They can count on one hand all the people they
have led to the Lord.
f. All the things they have done for the Lord can
be recorded on a small scrap of paper.
3. Sometimes it is much harder for a good and moral person
to receive salvation than for a hardened criminal.
a. There are always those who do not want to see
certain people forgiven.
b. I think of all the fuss over the case of
Dahlmer who had murdered so many boys. He
confessed to receiving Jesus as His Savior in
prison, and after he was murdered, there were
many who could not accept that God would
forgive him and receive him into heaven. If his
was a true repentance, think of how great his
love for the Lord must have been.
c. The man who is accused of the murder of Denise
Huber has made a confession of faith in prison,
not many people are willing to allow him in
heaven.
d. Charles Tex Watson of the Manson family has
made of profession of faith in Jesus in prison,
and there are so many who are not willing to
accept that God will forgive him. His love for
the Lord exceeds that of those who are still
condemning him, for he has been forgiven so
much.
e. They who are forgiven much, love much.
D. He then said to the woman, "Your sins are forgiven."
1. That must have sounded like the music of heaven in her
ears.
2. Unforgiven, unconfessed sin can hang heavy upon a
persons mind and heart.
3. David described his misery caused by the consciousness
of his guilt. "My bones waxed old through my roaring
all day long, day and night your hand was heavy upon
me. My moisture is turned into the drought of summer."
E. Jesus then added to the woman, "Your faith has saved you,
go in peace.
1. The war is over. Your rebelling against God has come to
an end.
2. You can now know peace.
3. As you go from this house of worship this morning, will
be going in peace, or will you still be burdened by the
sense of your guilt, still committed to do evil?
F. It is possible to love much even if you have not been forgiven
much. That is, you do not have to be some rank sinner to love
the Lord much. All you have to do is to know Him much, and the
more you know Him the more you will love Him.
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